The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-23
A BURGLAR IN A. COFFIN.
Thrilling Fight in a Little Vermont
Depot.

sensation. A desperate attempt was made
last Wednesday night to rob the express
messengers safe in therailroad station Office.
which was frustrated In a manner so mvste,
rious that it seemed to border on the weird.
The hero of the day, the station agent. STA
ted to-day to correspondent that he was
vet still uncertain which frightened him
most, the fobber or the strange warning
Herman s. Benjamin, a sturdy Green
Mountain boy, who lives in Woodbury..
three miles away, is the station agent. and
he has ON his hands as memento Of the af-
fair large stained coffin left behind by the
robber, which he will give with a handsome
bonus to any one who will give him some
elevate either the burglar or the individual
who sent him the startling warning.
There had been thunderstorm early in
the evening, and the night was dark and disa-
greeable when he came on duty at 8 O'Clock
He was not at all fiattered at!the prospect
before him, for it was what is known as
QUARRY eve,"~ the date being one of the
regular periods that the monthly money for
the stone qHarries near by is sent up by the
banks in Montpelier, and its safety was his
responsibility. Upon the night in question
Benjamin had taken the keys of the safe
from the day agent and assumed his duties
for the night, and proceeded to make him
self comfortable. The station is nearly a
mile from the village, and after the $50
O'Clock accommodation passes there is no
traffic except the II o'clock night express,
which does not stop, and possibly through
freight or two. When the day agent handed
him the keys this night he remarked that
the quarry Doodle had come. Said he: 'It's
in the safe there--$3S, 900 in bills. The silver
will be up on the way train.n
Benjamin said good night and thought no
more about the money until the accommo-
dation arrived at $40, when an iron-bound
box, about foot square, was delivered him
by the express messenger. The box was
filled with silver dollars, and was quite
heavy. Herman placed it in the safe, as
was his custom, for he had done this same
thing for several years. After the train left
he set his signals and lights for the express,
which was due at IL o'clock, and then en-
tered the ticket office and sat down to read.
The telegraph ticker, close at hand, occa-
sionally licked off a through message
of no particular Importance,
and he paid little attention to
the instrument until suddenly his
office was called three times rapidly. He
sprang to the key and answered, for his
duties as an operator were part of his re.
quirements. No reply to the answer came,
and, after waiting some time, he shut off
the key and went back to his reading.
Again he was called with the same result,
and this was repeated twice, until angry
and disguised, he had decided that some one
was playing him trick, and he sat glaring
at the offending sounder. his book in hand,
when message began to rattle out, its very
meagerness being startling. 1t said:
Watch the box! Watch the box Watch
the box!'
After short interval the message was
repeated again three times, and although
Benjamin cut in and tried to ask who was
the Senday. all he nOuld was.
"Watch the box" Watch the box"
At last he surihised that it meant the box
of silver. He opened the safe and looked in.
1t was all safe there, and while he was won
dering what it was all about, the whistle of
the express was heard. He went out as
usual and was surprised to see that it was
slowing upto stop. No passengers alighted,
but several of the employees lifted from the
baggage-car coffin, the outer covering of
stained pine. They said they had orders to
stop and leave it, to be called for in the
morning. 1t was marked Care of the Sta
ton Agent" and ''To be called for" The
box was placed il the expresS-room near the
safe and the train departed, but no sooner
had its rumblings ceased than the telegraph
ic instrument began again in its most lively
manner the old roundelay:
watch the box!" watch the boxn
"Watch the box!"
All of a sudden, by instinct it seemed,
there flashed through Benjamins brain the
thought that perhaps it was the sombre-
looking caslzet that the mysterious message
referred to. He examined it carefully, but
there was nothing suspicious about it. 1t
was heavy, there was no sound within and
the lid seemed securely screwed down. 1t
did not seem to be at all suspicious, but Her
man determined to be on the safe side, and
decided he would keep his eye open. The
key by this time had suddenly ceased
to rattle, and he made preparations
for getting some sleep. He made up his
usual impromptu bed on a bench and, after
seeing that his revolver was all right he
placed it under his head and laid down. he
watched the coffin carefully for some time,
but grew drowsy, and finally without know
ing it, dropped off into sleep. How long
he slept he does not know, but he was
awakened suddenly by what he couldn't tell,
bU6 heard the telegraph instrument in the
next room rafting away furiously and ex-
traordinarily loud:
Watch the box." "Watch the box"
wv atch the boxm
He was fully awake in an instant, and,
turning his gaze to where the coffin lay, he
saw by the dim light of the station lamp the
lid rise slightly. He watched breathlessly,
and cold sweat broke out all over him as
he saw the lid slowly and noiselessly rise and
man sit up in the coffin. His heart beat
quickly as the man got up and slipped out
OF the box and looked about him. He was
evidently burglar. as he wore Grape mask
and carried h bull's-eye in one hand and
some tools in the other. He was a power
fully built fellow, but so was Ben jamin, who,
seeing his visitor was flesh and blood re-
gained his courage. His policy was best to
lie still and watch developments, and,
although the robber came up close to him
and showed his lantern into his face, he never
moved mliscle.
Taking itfor granted he was asleep, the
burglar stole over to the safe and knelt
down before it with his back to the agent
Now was Benjamin's time for Selling his
revolver. He stepped from the bench, and
with bound was on the burglars back.
Then there ensued a terrible struggle, but
Benjamin had him about the neck and was
slowly strangling him, when the man drew
a long knife and hinged at his antagonist
To save himself Benjamin pressed his
revolver against the robbers shoulder
and fred. With howl the thief rolled
over on his back, tie blood pour
ing from his wound. Believing him to be
dying, Ben ilmin left him and ran down the
road with all speed to the village, reaching
the residence of DR.. Holt all out of breath.
He awolSe the physician, to whom he hur-
rledly told the tale, and with less than ten
minutes delay the two men We're running
toward the station. Half way there they
were passed by top wagon being driven
turiously toward the village. They called
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